Art of making types and type-bars.



Patented Apr 20, 1909.

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I R I G H A R D S I v MA TYPES AND TYPE BARS.

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' UNITED STATES PATEN T PRICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN TYPOGRAPHIC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ART OF MAKING TYPES AND TYPE-BARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed April 16, 1901, Serial No. 56,165. Renewed March 10, 1909. Serial No. 482,570.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. Riel-mans, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Making Types and Type-Bars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of making types and typebars, and especially to a method of making from a solid blank or bar of metal a typebar adapted for use in the typographic art for printing a line of characters; and has for an object to provide an improved method of producing these, wherein there will be formed a space adjacent to each type-block and the die will be caused to work upon the type-block, finish the type and continuing its pressure reduce the type-face to a common plane and at the same time justify the formed type lengthwise of the bar.

Many efforts have been made to produce from a mass of type-formable material by the action of a die a type suitable for use in and which would satisfactorily meet the require ments of the typographic art, in point especially of sharp Clfi'flllltlOIl and durability, and to combine a number of types so formed in a line of composed types or type faces in the endeavor to produce a typebar that would satisfy the demands of the art for successful commercial application. It is to be borne in mind in the manufacture of typebars, that some of the types of those used for forming the various characters of ordinary composition are more readily formed than others that is, less Work is performed by the dies in producing certain types than in producing others. In other words, the material will need to be subjected to a less number of operations in some instances than in others, depending upon the particular type which is to re produced, and if the type-forming operation is carried beyond the stage in which the material has assumed thecondition of a fin ished type the tendency of the stresses induced by further action of the die is, if a path of escape for the surplus metal be not provided, to mar or distort the type within the die cavity. The line, also, of least resistance to flowage of the metal under the die may be, and almost invariably is,'in a direction such that this movement, if not properly conrection of an adjacent cross trolled, results in the tipping or displacement of the adjacent type. In an organized system of forming composed types along a type bar in which the various elements involved in the type-forming operationfor example, the extent of the preliminary roughing-out of the type-blank, the amount of feed movement of the die and the blank against each other, the concurrent subsidiary motion, if there be such, the amount of surplus material to be removed by the die, etc. are not adapted to each individual type to be formed, the result is generally an unsatisfactory typebar and one ill-fitted to meet the demands of the art.

The preliminary isolation and trimming of the type blanks in the method of type-forming outlined above is adapted to the formation of a series of composed types having a common alinement, since the flowage of material from the type-blank during and subsequent to the formation therefrom of an earlyformed type may readily take lace in a dislot. Such a method of forming types and typebars is set forth in my application Serial N 0. 41,830, filed on January 2, 1901. In such application the feature of reducing each of the types to a common plane after its formation is claimed.

In carrying out my present invention, setting off the type-blanks before the dies are brought into action may be avoided, and I preferably subject each type-formable portion of the blank to repeated actions, which, for the purpose of producing symmetricallyformed types are preferably alternated from side to side of the mass. These repeated actions result in the gradual reduction of the mass to shape and are of such character that they operate to strengthen and finish the base portions of the block where the latter connects with the body of the typebar-blank and to condense and compact the impression and other faces of the type, besides operating to satisfactorily fill the angular portions and hair-line spaces of the die cavity. The ex cess or surplus material is caused or forced to flow laterally or crosswise of the blankthat is, in a direction away from an adjacent type-and for the purpose of more effectually protecting this latter type f10111 tl16 material subjected to the action of the Working die I preferably utilize a retaining wall at the side of the die for the purpose of confining the material and controlling its direction of flow.

To enable an early-formed type to be car ried downward in the bar and for the purpose of obviating any tendency on the part of the type-forming die during this operation to mar or destroy the type block or blank within the cavity of the die, I may, according to one mode of practicing my present invention, subject the type-blank to a preliminary treatment to remove a portion at least of the excess material from the upper edge thereof, or according to another mode and to the same end, provide a line or path of least resistance along which fiowage can take place during the descent of the die, the degree of resistance offered to the movement of the die in this case being also insufficient to cause the marring or destruction of the formed type and type-block.

Vance of the type or not. In fact, if such space is not formed until after the completion operation of the type-forming die. Fig. 8 is a sectional el vation illustrating a die-wheel, a space fo ing tool, and blank feeding means rooperating with the typebar-blank, the scale of this figure being somewhat smaller than that to which Figs. 1 and 2 are drawn.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts in the various figures of the drawings.

In carrying out my present improvements the type, it may be stated in a general way, results from the operation of a suitable typeforming die upon a blank forced one against the other to cause the penetration of the latter by the die, the carrying down of the impression face of the completed type to a common plane, and the justification of the type lengthtise of the bar under pressure.

The blank, designated in a general way 5 throughout the present specification and It is evident, in so far as concerns the sinking of the type, that it is immaterial whether a type-separating space he formed in adof the type-block additional support will be process for so operating upon the material as afforded by the integral connection with the stock of the blank, assisting by the existence of this support the production of a satisfactory type. Th at is to say, to secure the benefits of this support this space may be made l l l l simultaneously with the production of the p typeblock, or the space may be made subsequently to the completion thereof.

In the drawings accompanying the present specification, Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, a plan and side elevation of a typebar made according to my present method Fig. 3 is a perspective view upon a somewhat larger scale of a portion of a typebar-blank provided with a number of types and illustrates one mode of carrying out my present invention. Fig. 4 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view upon a greatly enlarged scale of a ortion of a typebar-blank, illustrating in a iagrammatic way another mode of carrying out my present invention. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4., indicating another step in the mode set forth in Fig. 4; this figure represents space-forming instrumentality which operates to produce a type-separating space subsequently to the completion of the type-block. Fig. 6 illustrates still another mode of carrying out the present invention, in which the space in advance of the type is formed simultaneously with the formation of the type and by an instrumentality which constitutes an integral part of the type-forming die. Fig. 7 is a view similar to the other figures on that sheet, but shows a mode of carrying out the present invention in which a su port in advance of the type-block is afl ordec by the same tool which serves to make the forward spaceprior to the drawings by B, is of some material suitable for the purpose-as, for instance, type-metal of proper composition wrought into the requisite or desired shape in some suitable way-for example, by casting, rolling, or otherwise. I have found, however, that a to produce a substantially wrought blank as distinguished from a condition resulting from the casting of the same, or at least a blank ,having that portion or those portions rought which are concerned in the formatlon ol' the several type-blocks, is best suited for carrying out the present improvements.

Moreover, the blank upon which the successive types are to be formed may be a continu ous ribbon or rod, or it may be in the form of separate pieces each having a length substantially equal to the length of the finished typebar.

In c'll'ecting the penetration of the material of the blank by the die it is immaterial another the movement, "which I may designate a transverse feeding movement, is im parted to the blank or die, or to both, but I find it convenient to feed the blank against the die and have therefore represented in a conventional V ay in Fig. 8 a carriage suitably mounted and adapted to have a stepby-step longitudinal motion to bring successive portions of the edge of the blank B supported in a blank or work holder V thereon under the dies. 'l his blank-holder is mounted on the carriage to have to-and-fro motion transverse to the direction of movement of the carriage toward and away from the dies, there being in the construction shoran a rock-lever 12 operated from some suitable means for effecting the movement of the blank ton ard and away from the dies. A spring 13 or a plurality of the same is provided, as shown, for returning the blankholder.

In one mode of carrying out my present invention that edge of the blank on which the types are to be formed is beveled, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to taper toward the faces of the type and present, thus, to the compressing action of the die during the type-form operation a type-formable body increasing in cross-sectional area from the face to the base thereof transversely of the bar. if the type-blank is isolated from its fellors by cross-slotting the edge of the typebarlank, a blank is thus formed from hich, hen the blank is under the compression of the die, flou'age may take place lengthwise of the typebar-blank. T his particular mode of preliminary forming and isolating a typeblank forms no part of the present invention, the same being set forth and claimed in the before-mentioncd application, Serial No. 41,830.

i'he ty ieiorming operation may be carried out in any proper manner, but, ahile hand-operated tools may be employed for the purpose, suitable mechanism ".1 ill ordinarily be used. any proper type-die may be employed, and this may be mounted in any desired manner, though. I prefer to support one ormore typedies, such as (Z, on a carrier, such as D, v. hich carrier may be secured to a shaft, such as 2, having a movem nt of revolution about another axis not shown, and also a movement of rotation about its own axis, the resulting movement of each die when its carrier is rotating and revolving being a cycloidal one.

The rectilinear transverse feeding movement of the die and blank relatively to each other is'not the only movement utilized in carrying out my present improvements for facilitating the filling of the die cavity, for disposing of the excess or surplus material separated or sheared from the type-blank or type-block during the type-forming operation, and for producing a compact and dense condition of the various surfaces, hut in combination with this movement there is a relative subsidiary motion imparted to the members, which combined movement operates to produce a type gradually and by a series of reductions and to accomplish the coincident working out of the excess material. This subsidiary motion operates in conjunction with the aforesaid transverse feeding movement to force excess material away from the adja cent type that is, crosswise or laterally of the blankand for further protecting the already-formed type 1 preferably use a all or plate adapted to enter into the comparatively narrow space bets. een the finished type and the material underthe working die, where it is located during the type-forming operation, serving as a retaining surface against vrhich the moving material or lo 1. age is received and by which its motion is directed. Such r. all, it is evident, so far as the purposes it fulfils are concerned, may be separate from the die and operated independently thereof, but I find it convenient to attach it to the die and operate the two as a unit.

'i he foregoing subsidiary movement operating to gradually form a type and pork the excess material out 7. ard. transversely or crossise of the blank preferably reverses in direction alternately, for the reason that such alternating motion is conveniently attained and best adaptedto produce a symmetricallyformed type. in other Vi'OldS, a relative osciilatory motion is inmartcd to the members (the die and the blank) during the period of type-forming, and for the production of this relative movement I find it convenient to oscillate the blank by imparting such motion to a suitable v. ork-holder in which the blank is supported. is thus performed by the die Y.l1il6 in contact with the typebar-blank and during the feeding of the blank to ard the die or vice versa, the die operating to roll excess material side ise of the blank the result of the oscillatory an d feeding motion independently of the making of a space in advance of the type. 'he direction, rapidity, extent, 850., of these movementsthat is, the transverse feeding .movement and the oscillatory movement-- and the relation of these various factors to each other, as well as the relation of the o specified movements one to the other, may 2e varied in any desired manner. The duration of tie oscillatory movement may he embraced, for instance, ithin the limits of the period during which the members are fed to- J'fLICl and against each other, but preferably the oscillation 2'; ill commence after the type has been partially formed and cease just before the feeding movement terminates. Furthermore, both movements may he uniform throughout their v. hole duration, or either may be varied, or they may both be varied.

e ith respect to an appropriate interrelation, I have found good results to follo 1v from a gradual reduction of the speed of the transverse feeding movement during the later stages of such movement accompanied by a concurrent oscillatory motion decreasing in amplitude or s1: ing during the later stages of the feeding movement, ceasing altogether just prior to the termination of the latter movement. Such particular mode of operation is set forth more fully in my applications, Serial Nos. 740,512 and 740,673, iiled on the 16th day of December, 1899, and the 18th day of December, 1899, respectively.

It will be noticed in Fig. 4, which represents a die in contact with the blank at a late stage in the type-forming operation, that the mass under the die is integrally connected with the unoperated-upon portion of the edge of the blank, which therefore affords a support for the type-blank While it is being 'Ehe operation. of forming a type wrought to shape that is to say, the portion or segment of the edge of the blank under the working die is, in this instance supported endwise of the blank by a wall or plate on one side and the stock f the blank on the other.

instead of preliminarily treating the blank by trimming its edge longitudinally to remove a portion of the surplus material and thereby permit the sinking of the die into the blank without its meeting with a resistance to its motion sufficient to destroy or injure the type within the die, I may employ for the same purpose a path or surface of least resistance predetermined in position and along which flowage may take place with comparative facility.

The flowage induced by the tyme-formative stresses of the working die naturally takes place along the line of least resistance and these stresses have a tendency to detrimentally affect a finished type within the llowage radius of the forming type, for such sphere of disturbance extends ordinarily some distance beyond the narrow space between the letters of a word as words are ordinarily composed and spaced. Even though a wall is provided at the side of a die for the protection of a formed type, considerable pressure is exerted thereon by the metal under the compression of the die, and as this wall must be comparatively thin owing to the comparative narrowness of the space into which it is fed it is liable to spring and ineffectually confine the metal endwise of the blank. Furthermore, the formative stresses are liable to be transmitted under its lower edge, and, if in the attempt to prevent this, the wall is made comparatively deep, measured in line with the depth of the blank, and is advanced into the edge of the latter to reach below the flowage radius, since the wall must have some width, however small it may be, and the blank manifestly opposing some resistance to penetration, stresses are created by the wall itself as it advances of greater or less magnitude which tend likewise to produce a distortion of formed type or In any organized system, moreover, of forming a series of types consecutively along the edge of a blank where individual type-blanks are not preliminarily treated to correspond with the particular types to be formed therefrom and the various steps and motions incident to or required in the type-forming process not adapted to indi ldual types, some provision or mode of operation in st exist for nullifying the distorting tendencies of those dies which complete their types above the common level of the types in the finished typebar. This distorting tendency may be minimized, if not effectually eliminated, by inducing flowagce along a predetermined and preformed path or surface of least resistance, as aforesaid, whereby the formative and other stresses, in so far as they are concerned in building up and positioning a type-block surmounted by a finished face, occasion a movement along a path predetermined in position. The direction of this predetermined path or surface is such as to facilitate the flowage of the metal under the rolling, swaging, forging and other operations to which it is subjected, andas these operations tend to move the metal outward toward the sides of the blank thispath or surface extends crosswise of the latter. Such surface is also located under at least a portion of the metal subjected to the type-formative action, and I find it convenient to form successive surfaces along the blank simultaneously with the production of types; that is, a surface is formed each time a type is produced, of a width, however, insuflicient to injuriously weaken the integral connection of the type-block with the stock of the blank. This flowage path or surface is made most advantageously I find in advance of a type, and in carrying out my present invention I form the same by making the vertical cross-space which will ultimately separate the next consecutive type-block to be made and completed along the blank from the type-blank just finished or in process of completion sufficiently wide when first formed to enter into the field of the next type or character. That is to say, the aforesaid surface is most readily formed by making the space or slot at the end of the lastformed type wider than this space will eventually be when the next consecutive type is formed for making the next consecutive letter in the composition.

In carrying out the method as above referred to some of the type spaces will be filled more readily than will others, and here reference will be had to Fig. 3, wherein there are shown three letters and a punctuation character, two of the letters are relatively large and the impression face of these before the die cavities which make them are completely filled are carried down to a plane considerably below the printing or impression face of the letter 0 when this is completed, and the punctuation mark embodying a mere dot or period had to be carried to a less extent until its die cavity was filled and its impression face formed, consequently to get the impression faces upon the same plane some of the dies have to carry the already formed type down below the position at which it is finished until its inlpression face is carried to the common plane, and during such carrying down under pressure the lengthwise justification of the types upon the bar will also be effected.

it is obvious from the above description that, in so far as the respective formation of the types and these spaces are concerned, each space may be formed independently of or simultaneously with the formation of a type, and furthermore that these results may be attained by separate and independent tools or devices. Thus, for instance, Figs. 4 and 5, which illustrate one mode of carrying out thepresent invention, represent the formation of a type by a die which operates to produce a type-block the lineof whose connection with the stock of the blank extends the entire height of the type-block the space in advance and which serves to complete this type-block being formed subsequently to the completion of the type.

For making this space I have shown a double-edged cutter 0, (see Fig. 8, especially,) which is carried by a suitable cutter-bar or cutter-carrier 2O pivoted to an angle-lever 21 carried by or secured to a suitable shaft or stud 212 and operated in any suitable manner, as by means of an arm 28. The cutter cpreferably has two cutting edges 0, c in order that it may plane the stock in both directions as it is reciprocated back and forth in contact with the blank. At each semireciprocation of the cutter one or the other of its cutting edges will remove a portion of the horizontal surface of the blank and when the type-block is completely finished the space it forms should be somewhat wider than the width of the retaining wall or plate integral with the die, so that when a die is adjusted to form the next consecutive type the wall will not fill the entire space but will leave an empty portion adjacent to the inner face of the wall toward which the material may shift when under the compression of the die until it contacts with the face of that wall and the surface formed by the lower edge of the cutting tool. This surface, (see line 2) which is represented as being in clined somewhat, due to the pressure of the material under the action of the die, forms the previouslydescribed surface of least resistance along which flowage may take place when the die advances into the metal. Such a mode of forming types and typebars, involving; the pre-forming of a surface of least resistance, is set forth in application Serial No. 57,934, filed April 29, 1901,- renewed June 17, 1904, Serial No. 212,952, and refiled February 12, 1907, Serial No. 356,975, to which reference may be made for a more detailed description Instead, how-. ever, of forming the space in advance of a type along the blank after the completion of I the same, the space may be made coincidently with the making of the block by a tool or other instrumentality acting independently of the die and serving to remove the material simultaneously with the ad vance of the die, or such tool may be connected to and-form an integral part of the die. Such an organization is set forth in Fig. 6, in which it will be noticed that both the wall f and the space-forming die or instrumentality f are made integral with the type-die, the well, however, being somewhat narrower than the space-forming die for the purpose of providing a surface of least resistance, as above set forth.

Instead of employing the integral connection of the type-blank with the stock of the type-blank as a forward support to the mass under the working die, I may utilize a space-forming die or other instrumentality which forms this space in advance of the type and prior to the operation of the type-die, but which remains in such formed space during the descent of the die into the edge of the blank. This method of forming types is represented in Fig. 7 in which 18 represents the space-forming die located in the space in advance of the type-block and designed to be independent of the typeforming die in its operation.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. That improvement in the art of making type which consists in subjecting a typeblank to compression in contact with typedies until the die-space is filled and the type completely formed, and continuing such compression in contact with the type-die and at the same time shifting the position of the completed type.

2. That improvement in the art of making types which consists in imparting to one of the following membersnamely, a blank and proper type-dies-a rolling, compressing movement depthwise and crosswise of the blank while in contact with the other member and until each respective die-space is filled and the type completely formed, and continuing such compression in contact with the type-die until the type is properly alined and concurrently justifying the completed type by shifting the position of the same.

3. That improvement in the art of making a line of type which consists in rolling at successive intervals a blank in contact with proper type-dies until each respective diespace is filled and the types completely formed, and continuing such rolling in contact with the type-die and justifying the completed typcby shifting the position of the same.

4. That improvement in the art of making a typebar having a line of type which consists in successively imparting to one of the following membersnamely, a typebarblank and a type-diea rolling, compressing movement in contact with the other until the die-space is filled and the type completely formed, and continuing such rolling, compressing movement in contact with the type-die and until the type is properly alined and at the same time shifting the position of the completed type longitudinally of the bar. a

5. That improvement in the art of making a typebar' having a line of type which consists in successively imparting to one of the l a typebarfollowing membersnamely, blank and a type-diewhile in contact with the other, a rolling movement in a cycloidal path the cusp of which is in such blank and thereby filling the die-space and completely forming a type, and compressing the completed type depthwise of the blank while in contact with the type-die for thereby shifting the position of the completed type longitudinally of the bar.

6. That improvement in the art of making types which consists in imparting to one of the following membersnamely, a typebar blank and a typedie-while in contact with the other, a rolling movement in a cycloidal path the cusp of which is in such typebarblank and thereby filling the die-space and completely forming a type, and continuing such cycloidal movement while the completed type is in contact with a type-die for thereby shifting the position of the com pleted type lengthwise of the blank.

7. That improvement in the art of making types which consists in subjecting a typebarlank supported at opposite sides to compression in contact with a type-die until the die-space is filled and the type completely formed, and continuing such compression in contact with the type-die for longitudinally disposing the metal immediately supporting said type for thereby shifting the position of the completed type on the bar.

8. That improvement in the art of making a type bar which consists in serially forming the type and under compression shifting the position of the formed type.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

iiitnesses FRED. J. DOLE, O. E. Voss. 

